This is our Sputnik moment.

"Half a century ago, when the Soviets beat us into space with the launch of a satellite called Sputnik, we had no idea how we would beat them to the moon. The science wasn't even there yet. NASA didn't exist. But after investing in better research and education, we didn't just surpass the Soviets; we unleashed a wave of innovation that created new industries and millions of new jobs.
This is our generation's Sputnik moment."

 -President Barack Obama in his 2011 State of the Union Address      

Interestingly, ever since we began to talk about rhetoric in class, I've been unconsciously noting the use of ethos, pathos, and logos of everything I hear. In politics, I think it's especially intriguing because it not only reflects the current mind-set of the politician or the public, but goes further to reflect the historical tendency of the American society as a whole. Upon listening to President Obama's State of the Union Address and revisiting the addresses of 2008 and 2010, it reminded me once again how heavily the American public is dependent on the pathos of things. While the use of pathos is inevitable in any given situation where a public appeal is necessary, presidential speeches tend to rely on it more heavily than any other rhetorical means of persuasion.

President Obama, has the tendency to make an appeal by reaching into America's past and using historical nostalgia to stir up feelings of morale. He uses this so heavily in fact, that while I was listening to his address this year, I recalled noting his use of historical nostalgia during his previous addresses. In 2008, Obama, referencing to World War II, Black Tuesday, and Bloody Sunday, drew an emotional mental picture for the American public. He closed that portion of his speech with a heart-thumping, foot-stomping, fist-pumping remark: "Again, we are tested. And again, we must answer history's call."

Similarly,  in this week's State of the Union Address, Obama again referenced history to rally the hearts of Americans. Alluding to America's past victories, Obama put emphasis on the fact that what America has done once, America can do again. Referencing to our "space race" against the Soviet Union, Obama boasted of America's victory in the face of hopelessness. He then appealed to the public's sense of pathos by declaring that "This is our generation's Sputnik moment."  I think Obama's rhetorical technique is ingenious and suitable for such an audience from a country that prides herself on her rich history and patriotism. 

After this week's State of the Union Address, I found it fascinating to observe the rhetorical tendencies of our presidents. Perhaps this will be a recurring theme... George W. Bush for next week?

Yes.. from "crest and whiskey" to presidential rhetorical tendencies. Big change, I know. :)

"Crest and Whiskey...Mmmm"

We've watched several Youtube videos in class, and we've experienced what a resource Youtube is. Several of you will empathize with me when I say that I have often wasted many hours sitting in front of my laptop, repeatedly clicking on video after video from the "related videos" tab on the right hand side of the web page.
It's almost scary to consider the colossal leverage that Youtube has on the current generation.
With 1,318,834 subscribers, Kevin Wu, aka "kevjumba", is currently ranked as the 13th most subscribed Youtube channel. With humorous videos with titles such as "Girls are like M&Ms" to guest features by Jessica Alba and Jalen Rose, Kevin Wu has the capabilities to influence millions of "youtubing" minds. His videos receive from anywhere between 1 to 3 million views. Such a guy must be doing something right in terms of rhetoric, no?
I decided to consider what exactly Kevjumba does to capture his audience. What kinds of rhetoric does he use, both consciously and unconsciously, to convey his messages? From the beginning of the video, one notices the casual and engaging mood of Kevin's speech that results from his ease with the extemporaneous mode of speech. Rhetorical technique number 1: check.
The video at hand discusses how the music of today's mainstream media is, for lack of a better word, rubbish. To make his point, Kevjumba takes the line "brush my teeth with a bottle of jack" from Ke$ha's popular song "Tik Tok", and he carries out the line into action--literally. He and his friends experiment with brushing their teeth with a cup of whiskey and crest toothpaste. Mmm...delightful, no? This technique not only shows how ridiculous the lyrics are, but conveys a deep impression critiquing modern society's conformation to our pop culture. Kev takes what is overlooked and overly accepted, and examines it with an approach that the audience can easily appreciate and understand.
Overall, one could consider this video to be a simple video of a guy trying to be funny. But what Kevjumba has done is that he has created a medium in which he can attract the attention of many while conveying an important social message. Parents could go on and on to their children about how trashy the music in their iPods are, but no quantity of nagging could amount to the subtle, but strong, influence a video like this leaves on the mind. No kid, not matter how deeply rooted in Ke$sha's world or strongly infected with Bieber Fever could deny that the lyrics of this generation's music are...struggling. Now if only all public service announcements, news reports, and lectures from wise old parents could produce the same effect...